It would be hard to find a more universally popular figure than Francis of Assisi. Christians and non-Christians alike commonly recall him as a wonderful figure of holiness, fully in tune with the animal kingdom, and the environment. It’s odd then to recall a time when Francis was the centerpiece of what we can best call a dreaded messianic cult, which the Church suppressed with a great deal of bloodshed. This was one of the gravest political and spiritual crises... Read more
What exactly does the University of Iowa have against student religious groups? It’s hard to know. One might guess that the university objects to these organizations’ opposition to same-sex marriage and related issues. But it’s also possible that university officials simply dislike “conservative” religious groups in general and evangelical groups in particular. At the very least, they’ve done their level best to strip such groups of their standing at the university. The origin story: In 2017, the university deregistered Business... Read more
I spent last week researching in the Southern Baptist Convention archives, located within the denomination’s headquarters in downtown Nashville, TN. It was a bit surreal because I had been blogging about the SBC for the last two months (here and here), and then finally found myself actually there on the ground for the first time. The archives are beautifully maintained, with friendly staff, and open to all researchers. I was researching the denomination’s Women’s Missionary Union (WMU) for my book... Read more
Chris pays tribute to theologian Clarence Bass, who died earlier this month at age 98. Read more
Through most of human history, people interpreted climate events and natural disasters as signs of supernatural power, commonly of God or the gods being angry and needing to be appeased in some way. Depending on the circumstances, that might mean hunting down religious dissidents, or launching revivals or apocalyptic movements. But quite recently in historical terms – sometime in the nineteenth century – that attitude changed, or at least for educated elites in Western societies. I offer one literary commemoration... Read more
As usual, I have a couple of writing projects on the go at any given time, and I recently completed a book manuscript on The Global History of the Cold War, to be published early next year by Palgrave Macmillan. Like other things I have done with Macmillan, the book is a combination of a textbook and something intended for an interested general reader. Looking at the project, I am struck by how it takes me back to a different... Read more
In which Chris takes a shot at getting some new Christian college students as excited (in mid-July) about academics as he is... Read more
Late in 1999, while the world panicked about Y2K (remember that?), I ordered a new Bible–a modern printing of the 1611 KJV. I was working on my Latin, using the Vulgate New Testament for my Bible reading, and wanted a ‘cheat version’ to check myself. But that wasn’t the only reason. I wanted a 1611 KJV because it contained the Jewish apocrypha. You see, my husband was interviewing for an Associate Pastor position deep in the heart of KJV-only territory. For... Read more
What does it mean to follow Jesus? How do different Christian traditions answer this question? Chris previews a new project and invites early responses from readers. Read more
By now, summer might be testing limits of our altruism to our kids, let alone their capacity for it. We might want kids to be motivated to do self-giving acts of service. Actually getting them to do these can be tricky. Especially for the sort of parents too busy to have lots of spare time to teach their kids how to be generous. Jessica Jackley, prize-winning entrepreneur, saw that there was profit to be made in answering the question a ... Read more
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